Content

Abstract

Attitudes of retailers towards cross-border trade. Knowledge regarding consumer legislation.
Topics: importance of selected obstacles to the development of cross-border sales to other EU countries: additional costs of compliance with different national tax regulations and consumer protection rules and contract law, higher costs of cross-border delivery compared to domestic delivery, higher costs in resolving complaints and disputes cross-border, higher costs of the risk of fraud and non-payments, extra costs arising from language differences or after-sales services, restrictions imposed by manufacturers and suppliers, extra costs arising from different consumption habits, higher transport costs; intention to sell cross-border to consumers in other EU countries in the next twelve months; approval of the following statements: own company complies with consumer legislation, competitors comply with consumer legislation; self-assessed knowledge where to find relevant information about consumer legislation in the own country and in other EU countries; occurrence of consumer authorities charging the company with non-compliance with legislation in the last twelve months; knowledge of the customer’s right to have a defective product repaired; knowledge test concerning the prohibition of selected commercial practices by law in the own country: include an invoice or a similar document in marketing material, advertise products at very low price without having a reasonable quantity of products for sale, make exaggerated statements in advertisements, describe products as ‘free’ that are only available calling premium rate phone numbers; perception of misleading or deceptive advertisements, statements or offers made by competitors in the last twelve months; perception of fraudulent statements or offers made by competitors in the last twelve months; trust in statements or offers made by competitors regarding the environmental impact of their products; assessment of the share of non-food as well as of food products currently on the market in the own country which comply with safety standards; occurrence of the following in the last two years in the company: reception of consumer complaints about the safety of products, safety checks of products by the authorities, authorities asking to withdraw or recall a product, authorities asking to issue a public warning about the safety of a product, own tests to ensure product safety, other enforcement actions related to product safety; attitude towards the following statements regarding the monitoring of compliance with consumer and product safety legislation in the own country in the company’s sector: public authorities actively monitor and ensure compliance with consumer legislation, with product safety legislation, and with food safety legislation, consumer NGOs actively monitor compliance with consumer legislation, self-regulatory bodies actively monitor respect of codes of conduct or codes of practice, media regularly report on businesses which do not respect consumer legislation, change of commercial practices as result of media stories; knowledge of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or out-of-court dispute resolution bodies for settling disputes with consumers in the own country; frequency of using ADR bodies for settling disputes with consumers in the past two years.
Demography: information about the company: company size, direct selling to final consumers, number of employees; position of respondent at the company; decision making responsibility of respondent within the company; turnover of the company in the last year; retail sales channels; kind of products or services sold to final consumers; number of EU countries cross-border sales to final consumers are made to; selling in other languages.
Additionally coded was: country; NACE-Code; preferred language of the interview (only in BE, EE, FI, IE, LV, LU, MT, ES); nation group; weighting factor.

Abstract

Attitudes of retailers towards cross-border trade. Knowledge regarding consumer legislation.
Topics: importance of selected obstacles to the development of cross-border sales to other EU countries: additional costs of compliance with different national tax regulations and consumer protection rules and contract law, higher costs of cross-border delivery compared to domestic delivery, higher costs in resolving complaints and disputes cross-border, higher costs of the risk of fraud and non-payments, extra costs arising from language differences or after-sales services, restrictions imposed by manufacturers and suppliers, extra costs arising from different consumption habits, higher transport costs; intention to sell cross-border to consumers in other EU countries in the next twelve months; approval of the following statements: own company complies with consumer legislation, competitors comply with consumer legislation; self-assessed knowledge where to find relevant information about consumer legislation in the own country and in other EU countries; occurrence of consumer authorities charging the company with non-compliance with legislation in the last twelve months; knowledge of the customer’s right to have a defective product repaired; knowledge test concerning the prohibition of selected commercial practices by law in the own country: include an invoice or a similar document in marketing material, advertise products at very low price without having a reasonable quantity of products for sale, make exaggerated statements in advertisements, describe products as ‘free’ that are only available calling premium rate phone numbers; perception of misleading or deceptive advertisements, statements or offers made by competitors in the last twelve months; perception of fraudulent statements or offers made by competitors in the last twelve months; trust in statements or offers made by competitors regarding the environmental impact of their products; assessment of the share of non-food as well as of food products currently on the market in the own country which comply with safety standards; occurrence of the following in the last two years in the company: reception of consumer complaints about the safety of products, safety checks of products by the authorities, authorities asking to withdraw or recall a product, authorities asking to issue a public warning about the safety of a product, own tests to ensure product safety, other enforcement actions related to product safety; attitude towards the following statements regarding the monitoring of compliance with consumer and product safety legislation in the own country in the company’s sector: public authorities actively monitor and ensure compliance with consumer legislation, with product safety legislation, and with food safety legislation, consumer NGOs actively monitor compliance with consumer legislation, self-regulatory bodies actively monitor respect of codes of conduct or codes of practice, media regularly report on businesses which do not respect consumer legislation, change of commercial practices as result of media stories; knowledge of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or out-of-court dispute resolution bodies for settling disputes with consumers in the own country; frequency of using ADR bodies for settling disputes with consumers in the past two years.
Demography: information about the company: company size, direct selling to final consumers, number of employees; position of respondent at the company; decision making responsibility of respondent within the company; turnover of the company in the last year; retail sales channels; kind of products or services sold to final consumers; number of EU countries cross-border sales to final consumers are made to; selling in other languages.
Additionally coded was: country; NACE-Code; preferred language of the interview (only in BE, EE, FI, IE, LV, LU, MT, ES); nation group; weighting factor.

Methodology

Geographic Coverage

Universe

The survey covers businesses selling to final consumers in the retail and service sectors employing 10 or more persons in the European Union (NACE G, H, I, J, K, excluding G 51 Wholesale trade and commission trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles; J 67 Activities auxiliary to financial intermediation; K73 Research and development; K74 Other business activities).
It was also conducted in Norway, Iceland and Croatia where the same target group was interviewed.

The survey covers businesses selling to final consumers in the retail and service sectors employing 10 or more persons in the European Union (NACE G, H, I, J, K, excluding G 51 Wholesale trade and commission trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles; J 67 Activities auxiliary to financial intermediation; K73 Research and development; K74 Other business activities).
It was also conducted in Norway, Iceland and Croatia where the same target group was interviewed.

European Commission: Flash Eurobarometer 359: Retailers’ attitudes towards cross-border trade and consumer protection. Conducted by TNS Political&Social at the request of the European Commission, Directorate-General for Health and Consumers. Survey co-ordinated by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM “Research and Speechwriting” Unit). Brussels, June 2013.
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_359_en.pdf

EB - Flash Eurobarometer
The Flash Eurobarometer were launched by the European Commission in the late eighties, turning out a Monthly Monitor between in 1994 and 1995. These “small scale” surveys are conducted in all EU member states at times, occasionally reducing or enlarging the scope of countries as a function of specific topics. The typical sample size is 500-1000 respondents per country and interviews are usually conducted by phone in the respective national language. The Flash Eurobarometer include series on special topics (Common Currency, EU Enlargement, Information Society, Entrepreneurship, Innovation) as well as special target group polls, particularly company managers with enterprise related topics.